


The Truth About Fate

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Crazy Love [20]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-31
Updated: 2012-08-31
Packaged: 2017-11-13 05:38:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/500092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“All I can do is stay and show you how much I love you everyday.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Truth About Fate

**Author's Note:**

> This story is written in the Thicker than Water universe where the BAU are kids and teens. I can't believe I’ve written almost 100 stories in the two years since I started.

“I'm not overjoyed about the sleeping arrangements.” 

“It’s just on paper.” Hotch said. “Don’t worry about it. We’re going on vacation…we’re going to have fun.”

“What do you mean?”

“Tell me you don’t know what fun means.”

“That’s not what I'm talking about smartass.” Megan looked up from painting her toenails. She raised her eyebrow when she saw Hotch. “What are you doing?”

“Hair is growing everywhere. I'm turning into a gorilla.”

“Well you're a sexy gorilla so I don’t see the problem.”

“But it's really everywhere.” Hotch said. “It’s not on my chest but it’s on my arms and legs. It’s definitely on my face. If I don’t shave every morning it looks like I've been on a bender.”

“You can call it alcoholic chic.” Megan said smiling.

“I don’t even drink Megs.”

“What do you mean it’s just on paper?”

“What?”

“You said the sleeping arrangements were just on paper. What does that mean? I know what I think it means but I want to make sure we’re talking about the same thing.”

“You and I, and Jason and Emily, know that we’re going to share rooms with our girlfriends. Spencer, Ashley, Penelope, and to a lesser extent JJ, don’t need to know that. They’re kids and they don’t need to think about sex.”

“Jason and Emily are like mom and dad though. They're practically married. I don’t think the younger kids would gasp if they said they shared a room. They do it at home.”

“They have separate bedrooms.” Hotch replied. “Whatever they do after the kids are asleep is something the kids don’t see. It’s not perfect, nothing is but I understand and fully respect Jason’s rules.”

“But you and I will stay together? Or is that on paper too?”

“You and Emily will share a room. You and I will share the bed. That’s the best way I can think to describe it.”

“I get it.” she nodded. “By the way, I totally wasn’t trying to diss how Jason is doing things. I mean I don’t think I want children when I grow up so I seriously doubt I could do what he's doing. I really respect it. While not fully understanding it I will always respect it. Jason Gideon is one of the good guys, even if I feel like he hates me.”

“He does not hate you.” Hotch said. “And I appreciate that you respect how he chooses to do things.”

“How did he get it in his mind to do something like this anyway?” Megan asked as she focused on her toenails again. She was painting them a color called Hawaiian Sunset, which was a dark, glossy orange.

“When he left the boys’ home at 15 seeking emancipation, Spencer and I went with him. As far as the boys’ home was concerned, Erin Strauss fostered all three of us. Spencer’s mom signed all the paperwork and since I was an orphan only my caseworker had to sign off.”

“Erin Strauss? I thought you didn’t like her.”

“She's not one of my favorite people but the truth of the matter is that she sacrificed a lot in the beginning for us. Other than Emily, who is emancipated, and Ashley who Dave supports, all of us are Erin’s children. So even when I wanted to strangle her I still respect her. She didn’t have to do all she did. She's just as responsible for getting us off the street and keeping us as safe as Jason. Her role is on paper, sort of like you and Emily being bunkmates.”

“You still haven’t answered my question.” She said.

“I'm sorry, I've forgotten your question.”

“How did Jason get it into his mind to do this?” Megan asked smiling.

“I know Jason missed his parents something terrible and didn’t want to be alone. But I think the family happened to Jason, not the other way around. I don’t know if I believe in fate and all that other stuff but there's no other reason that we’re all together. For a while there was just the three of us; Jason, Spencer, and I. Jason knew Derek and Elle in passing…they hung out in the park near our apartment. 

“Jason and Spencer went there to play chess. One night there was a melee there so he brought them home so they wouldn’t get picked up by the cops. If they did it was a group home for sure. Derek stayed but eventually Elle ran off. We haven’t seen her since though we do know now that she’s safe. 

“Anderson brought Penelope here. She took a bus from California and he found her wandering around the bus station. He knew she’d be safe here with Jason. I found JJ alone in a subway station. It took almost a month for me to convince her to come and stay with us. 

“A few months later, on Jason’s 17th birthday in fact, Morgan found Prentiss. He stopped two guys from roughing her up in an alley by Beans. He brought her home because someone had opened their door for him. Morgan is a pay it forward kinda kid. You already know most of Ashley’s story. And that’s how we became a family.”

“Damn, who would play you in the TV movie?” Megan asked.

“It is a bit fantastic.” Hotch’s dimples showed when he smiled. “But it’s totally the truth. We gravitated toward each other for a reason. We’re supposed to be a family and we are.”

“And what about you and Emily Prentiss?” the first coat was dry and it was time for the second.

“What about us?” he was cautious when he asked. 

Hotch wasn’t sure if Megan was curious or jealous. It was possible that she was a combination of both. Those kinds of feelings were natural in teenage girls, in all human beings really. But there were things about Megan that made her different from most people. 

He never wanted her to give Emily wrath that she didn’t deserve, or him for that matter. There was no way to get out of answering this direct question. That would only cast more suspicion on something that was perfectly natural and normal. At least it was in their family.

“She's my wonder twin.” He replied. “Uncle Dave gave us that name. I never believed it but on the first Christmas we had as a family JJ got a camera. She took a bunch of family photos and I was taken aback by how alike we look and are. After that I never scoffed at the name again.”

“So you don’t have a thing for her?”

“What do you mean a thing?”

“Aaron Hotchner, you're a really smart guy…please don’t play dumb.”

“I'm not in love with Emily.” He stopped fixating on his hairy body in the mirror and went to join her on the bed. “Megs, she really is like my twin. We’re really close and I know it might be uncomfortable for you sometimes but my relationship with her will never change. 

“I love her with all my heart; I’d take a bullet for her. We’re connected and neither one of us has any idea how or why it’s so enormous. But I love you and Emily loves Jason. We…stop looking at me like that.”

“How am I looking at you?” she asked. “I'm just listening.”

“You might be listening but you're also looking at me like you're about to stab me.”

“I would never do that Aaron. I can't deny that I might strangle you but I would never, ever stab you. Cross my heart.”

“I find that oddly comforting.”

“I don’t want to be jealous of Emily.” Megan sighed. “She's a really awesome girl and has been nothing but cool to me since the day we met. But she's not your blood sister and I guess there's always going to be this little fear in the pit of my stomach that if she asks then you'll go.”

“Emily loves Jason with all of her heart, and the feeling is mutual. I know she's not my blood sister; I wish there was something I could do about your worries. All I can do is stay and show you how much I love you everyday.”

“You almost make it sound like work.” she turned up her nose.

“Loving you is probably one of the easiest things I've ever done.” Hotch said. “But relationships are work. Couples have to talk and share. They have to hold on in good times and bad. They have to get over jealousies and grudges. Sharing your life and who you truly are is never easy. But love makes it less like work and more like an adventure.”

“Tell me one thing you'd change about me.”

“How did I get here?” he asked, dramatically looking around. “And which turn do I make to return to a safe location?”

“Oh c'mon,” Megan laughed and slipped her arms around him. “We've been together for seven months now. While that’s not forever I'm willing to bet you have an answer. In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll also tell you one thing that I would change about you.”

Hotch sighed and kissed her nose. He wasn’t getting out of it so it was best to answer quickly and get it over with. This was the question equivalent of ripping off a Band-Aid.

“I wish you were more secure. I don’t know if that means I’d have to go back in time and change your mom and dad as people and surely as a couple, but that’s what I’d change. The rub to changing one thing is that it doesn’t work like that and never has. If I change one thing then I change a million. If your parents had a happy marriage we never would've met. 

“If I went back even further one change could result in your parents never even meeting or marrying. You might never have been born. Those kinds of questions are irrelevant. You are you and even with flaws and faults you're still an amazing person. I love you because of everything about you. Even now that I know you might strangle me, I still love you.”

“Faults and all, I'm pretty awesome.” Megan smiled and nodded.

“Yeah you are.” He kissed her nose.

“I wouldn’t change anything about you, Aaron.”

“I'm definitely not perfect.”

“You surely aren’t, but that’s what I love about you. I could list some things to change but what you said makes sense. If I change one thing then I change a million. Then you might not be the boy I love with all my heart. You might not be the one person who taught me to love myself and always strive to be the best Megan. I'm so glad I know you even when I want to strangle you.”

“There are really times when you want to strangle me?” Hotch asked.

“Yes.” She nodded. “I have all kinds of crazy impulses but I'm much better than I used to be at controlling them. Just because you feel something doesn’t mean you should act on it. You have to think about consequences, for you and everyone around you. You like your neck, Aaron and I do as well.”

“I appreciate that. Do you feel better? I don’t want you feeling bad or uncomfortable.”

“I feel fine.” Megan replied and meant it. Aaron and Emily weren't an easy question to answer. But changing it could change everything. It wasn’t a risk she was willing to take. 

No one in the world ever gave a damn about her like he did. Megan would have to deal with the rest. It wouldn’t be easy but loving him totally was. It was so easy it happened without her knowledge or consent. To be completely impulsive on some levels, Megan damn near refused to fall in love with Aaron Hotchner. 

Not that her heart gave a damn what her brain and mouth said. Then she spent months worried that he didn’t feel the same. Love sucked in many different ways so acknowledging and accepting it were never as easy as feeling it. She gave him that smile while tugging at his tee shirt. “Let’s get naked.”

“You need to finish your toenails first, and the second coat needs to dry.”

“Are you stalling?”

“No, but I am well aware that you would blame me tomorrow if your toes don’t look exactly like you want them to. We have to get on the road relatively early so I can finish them for you if you want.”

“You want to paint my toenails?” Megan asked.

“I like trying new things.” Hotch replied. “I saw it in a movie once. Granted it was on Lifetime and I watched it under duress but I still saw it.”

“Its going to turn me on.” She smiled.

“That’s a cross I'm willing to bear.” He made a burdened face.

Megan laughed. She just laughed and hugged him tight.

“I love you, Aaron Hotchner.”

“I love you too.”

“Thanks for putting up with me.”

“Ditto.”

“Now lets have some fun.” she handed him the nail polish and put her foot in his lap.

Hotch situated himself so he could hold her foot steady. Megan giggled, and leaned her hands back on the bed. She was only dressed in a lime green bra and panty set. It was summer…clothes meant nothing to her. They didn’t mean much in winter either but in the summer all bets were off. Vacation with his family would be very interesting.

“You shouldn’t be such a good boyfriend. You're going to ruin me to other men at 17. That’s a little unfair to the masses.”

“There aren’t gonna be any other men.” Hotch replied.

“Be careful with your words Aaron. You might accidentally get stuck with me.”

“I said earlier that I don’t know if I believe in fate and all that stuff. But I still know we’re all here because we’re supposed to be. Just like Derek brought Emily home on Jason’s birthday, you decided to pass me that note in English class though we’d never spoken before.”

“But saying there won't be others is just…”

“Megs?” Hotch cut her off.

“What?”

“Stop it. Let me paint your toenails, let them dry, and then let’s mess around. No more talking; no more worry. Let’s relax and enjoy ourselves. OK?”

“OK.” She smiled and nodded. “It gets me hot when you're commanding, Aaron.”

“I know.” Hotch tried to suppress his grin but his dimples gave him away.

“You shouldn’t be allowed to do that and not immediately ravage me.”

“I’ll make a note of that.” he ran the polish over her toenails. “Since we’re disclosing and just talking honestly can I ask you something Megs?”

“Sure.”

“Why do you like sex so much? I would never judge you and believe I think about it my fair share but if I had it only half as much as we do I would be OK. I might be OK with not having it at all but I can't say for sure.”

“That’s an easy question; at least it is when I'm talking to you. It’s because I feel. I've been having sex since I was 13 Aaron, no biggie. Well to some it’s a biggie and they like to throw out derogatory names. 

“There have been a lot of guys in my life, for better or worse.” Megan shrugged. “Most of the time sex was just this thing, this act, a way to seize control when everything else was crumbling down around me. In the end it didn’t work but I kept doing it anyway because I didn't know what else to do. It’s nothing like that with you. 

“With you its fun and I enjoy myself. I tingle and shiver and moan. For the first time ever I feel all of these amazing things and I just want to keep experiencing that. I especially want to experience it with you. Also, I really like sex. Sometimes the answer can be both complicated and simple.”

“I think it’s that way all the time. And you already told me that were 12 when you lost your virginity…you don’t have to dress it up for me anymore.”

“I did?” Megan raised her eyebrows. “See I tell you the truth too. Wow, Aaron you must be someone pretty special. You might get the whole sordid truth and live to tell the tale.”

“You know the truth about me too. Gimme your other foot please.”

Megan smiled and did as he asked. There was something about Aaron Hotchner. She knew it from the moment she laid eyes on him walking down the hall. She surely didn’t know that he was as special as he turned out to be but there was something. Without a word exchanged between them, Megan knew that he was different than any guy she had ever met. Maybe people like them did gravitate toward each other. 

Maybe the universe, or whatever, made sure that no one ended up alone. Was that the fat and stuff Aaron was talking about; the stuff he wasn’t sure he believed in? Megan didn’t know if she did either but she believed in this. What they had was sure to be one of the most important relationships of her life, if not the most important. This relationship was the reason she was still alive. It was why she might believe in things that she never believed in, including herself.

***


End file.
